Does WeTransfer encrypt files?

WeTransfer encrypts files in transit and at rest on its servers, but not end-to-end. The company therefore keeps the technical ability to access your content. With Retyc, encryption happens on your device and only your recipients can decrypt the files.

Is there a free, European alternative to WeTransfer?

Yes. Retyc is built by a French company, hosted in Europe, and offers a free plan for end-to-end encrypted file transfer.

What happens to my files after they are sent?

You choose the expiry duration, from a few hours to several months depending on your plan. After that, the files are deleted automatically, and you can revoke access at any time.

Is Retyc GDPR-compliant?

Retyc is hosted in the European Union, depends on no US provider and uses no advertising tracking. The zero-knowledge architecture limits, by design, the data the service can access.

Do I need to install software to use Retyc?

No, everything happens in the browser. An open-source command-line client is available as an option for users who want to automate their transfers.

Wetransfer alternatives

Compare Retyc with Wetransfer and Smash. Transfer files securely with end-to-end encryption, no advertising tracking, and European hosting.

WeTransfer is the reflex when a file is too big to email. It is convenient, but your files travel in clear text to US servers, and the terms of service grant the company a licence over what you send. For a quote, a contract or payslips, that is not trivial.

Retyc works the other way around. Your files are encrypted on your device before they leave, and no one on our side can open them, or even read their name. The table below puts Retyc next to WeTransfer, Smash and Swisstransfer on the points that really matter when your documents are confidential.

Feature	Retyc	Wetransfer	Smash	Swisstransfer
End‑to‑end encryption with zero‑knowledge
Service can't read your content (files)		i
Encrypted metadata (file names, types...) with zero‑knowledge
No censorship		Unknown	i	Unknown
Company in European Union	France	USA	France	Switzerland
Data hosting in a company in European Union	Francei	USAi	USAi	Switzerlandi
No advertising tracking / cookies		i	i	i
CLOUD Act resistant	i			i
Mozilla Observatory security grade	A+	B	C	C-

Why look for a WeTransfer alternative?

Three reasons come up often. First, WeTransfer does not encrypt your files end-to-end: the company can technically access them, and its terms even grant it a licence to use your content (section 6.3).

Second, the service tracks visitors without a consent banner, through tools like Google Tag Manager and Google Ads. Third, WeTransfer is a US company that hosts its data on AWS. Your documents therefore fall under US law, wherever they are stored.

End-to-end encryption is the real difference

With Retyc, encryption happens in your browser, before the upload. Our servers only ever receive encrypted blocks, never your files in clear text. This is what a "zero-knowledge" architecture means: even we, who run the service, cannot decrypt anything.

The encryption does not stop at the content. File names, sizes and types are encrypted too. And to anticipate future quantum computers, Retyc relies on hybrid post-quantum encryption based on AGE.

European sovereignty and the CLOUD Act

The CLOUD Act is a US law that lets US authorities demand access to data held by a US company, even when that data is stored in Europe. WeTransfer and Smash, which host on AWS, are exposed to it.

Retyc is a French company, hosted in France with Scaleway and Clever Cloud. Our data never leaves the European Union and depends on no US provider. And since everything is encrypted end-to-end, the question of access does not even arise: there is nothing readable to hand over.

WeTransfer, Smash and Swisstransfer: where they stand

WeTransfer is built for simplicity, at the expense of privacy: a US company, AWS hosting, no end-to-end encryption and active advertising tracking.

Smash is a French company, which is reassuring, but its servers are on AWS and the service does not encrypt end-to-end either. It also rejects video files "for security reasons".

Swisstransfer is free and based in Switzerland, outside the European Union. Files are hosted with Infomaniak, but without client-side end-to-end encryption.

Moving from WeTransfer to Retyc

Retyc runs in the browser, with nothing to install. A free account already lets you send encrypted files, with an expiry date and control over who can download them.

For technical teams, an open-source command-line client (and an MCP server) automates transfers and dataroom management. Switching from WeTransfer takes a few minutes.